The present invention relates to footwear and, more particularly, to a footwear construction and a method for making the same.
In the footwear industry, there is an ongoing effort to produce footwear that can be securely joined with a user's foot and still provide exceptional comfort. In many footwear, comfort is enhanced by including adjustable securing elements to accommodate a variety of feet having different dimensions and physical characteristics. Examples include: conventional shoestrings or lacing, which can be tightened to the preference of the wearer; buckles, which can be buckled at desired increments; and Velcro® straps which can be overlapped and secured to one another to provide a desired fit and level of secure attachment to the wearer's foot.
While conventional adjustable elements serve their purpose, that is, they provide satisfactory adjustment of certain dimensions of the footwear, they are sometimes difficult to operate, clunky, noisy and/or generally not aesthetically pleasing. As a result, there remains a long felt and unmet need for a footwear construction that provides the desired level of secure attachment, that is comfortable, and that is aesthetically pleasing.